Fracture Lines
by Lazerwolf314
Summary: Time doesn't slow like it does in the movies. You don't have time to think, to say goodbye, to prepare. All you are left with is one instant filled with the sound of crushing metal, panicked gasps and the sight of blood arcing through the air.
1. Red

_I hope you enjoy. I'm not evil, as many of you are probably thinking at the moment, I promise, but I felt the need to get something dark out there. Don't worry; it will get better. :)_

_Reviews make the day brighter and chapters come faster._

_Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Rookie Blue._

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><p>In the back of your mind, you always think it will be like in the movies. In slow motion, letting your entire life flash before your eyes and giving you the chance to pray to whatever god you believe in. That's not the case. It takes less than a second for it to happen. One instant filled only with the sound of crushing metal, panicked gasps and the sight of blood arcing through the air.<p>

When the trucked plowed into the cruiser, everything rocketed into hyper speed. There is no time to brace, no time to shout a warning. No time to accept the reality.

They spun wildly, flipping over and over in a dizzying dance that left no place to breathe. Each impact sent a new jolt through each of their bodies, jerking them around like puppets. Eventually all motion ceased as the cruiser skidded to a stop on its back, like some large beetle.

At first, the world was a kaleidoscope of swirling colors when Sam first opened his eyes. Constantly shifting blurs drifted in and out of his vision as he tried to focus on what was actually in front of him. His head spun in a giddy real when he attempted for remember what happened. All that he could recall was looking over at McNally, about to make a sarcastic retort to something she had said and then everything exploded into a burst of light and sound.

Emitting a weak moan, he felt blindly for the clasp to his seat buckle, the sturdy fabric trapping him upside down. He could feel his right hand scrapping against the shards of glass that littered the roof of the cruiser, but there was no sensation in his left. He turned his head slowly, hissing through the bright shards of pain that hit him and blinked desperately to clear his vision. It seemed like hours before he could see, but was in fact probably seconds, and another groan escaped his throat when his sight focused. A jagged shard of metal had pierced the forearm and pinned it to the windowsill.

Looking forward again, his eyes locked onto an object lying just beneath the spider webbing of what had once been their windshield. In his stunned state, he didn't register what he was seeing at first, but simply followed the pale arm to the person it was attached to.

The instinctive denial was caught in his throat; a bone deep sob forcing its way out.

Andy's entire right side was crushed, bone fragments bursting from the skin on her arm and through the dark uniform pants covering her leg. While Sam couldn't see much of her side, the blood that was slowly pooling beneath her told him more than words ever could. Her face was pale and lax, eyes closed and her breathing was erratic, coming out in short gasps.

While he wasn't aware that he was doing it, he noticed that his right hand reaching toward her blood stained one.

"Andy." There was a slight pause as his voice rasped harshly over bruised vocal cords. "Andy, please wake up. Please, please stay with me." He continued to murmur softly as he gently clasped her hand. At first there was no response and all he could hear was the scream of approaching sirens, but a sudden twitch had hope surging through him.

"That's it. Just stay with me." Her fingers moved again, but this time going with purpose. He waited with baited breath as they intertwined with his, squeezing weakly. A sob burst from him as he clutched tightly to the lifeline that he had just been granted.

Blackness jumped from the corners of his vision, quickly swamping him, but not once did he let go of her hand. He would never let her go again. Just as his body gave out on him, he heard the staccato of feet rushing towards them. Then he simply let go and fell.


	2. Breath

_Wow, the response to the first chapter was overwhelming! Thank you so much! Knowing that people are hook onto this keep me going. :) And as many of you stated, you are hoping for me to not be completely evil. But it has to get worse before it gets better. -cowers- Please don't hurt me! Either way, I hope you enjoy._

_Reviews make the day brighter and chapters come faster._

_Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Rookie Blue._

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><p><em>On this bed I lay<br>Losing everything  
>I can see my life passing me by<br>Was it all too much  
>Or just not enough<br>Wake me up, I'm living a nightmare_

_~Three Days Grace: Time of Dying_

Click. Whir. Beep. Click. Whir. Beep.

The continuous cycle was the first and only thing that seemed to be able to register in Sam's mind as he swam toward consciousness. It was a familiar sound, sickeningly so, at the same time it was foreign. He knew exactly what it was, but it could not register in his mind. As he slowly returned to his senses, bit by bit he began to feel his body again, shoving away the thick tendrils of fog that latched onto his brain.

His mouth was thick and his tongue felt swollen, so he attempted to swallow. And found he couldn't. Eyes shooting open in panic, he arched his back, gagging desperately around the tube forced down his throat. His body convulsed as he felt his heart rate pick up and he jerked this way and that, riding on pure instinct. Forgetting everything, he clawed at his mouth before strong hands pinned his and forced him down.

Forms blurred above him as he twisted his head this way and that, coughing with as much strength as he could muster. Voices sounded like thunder claps to his abused ears and he suddenly found his head in a vice-like grip. A whimper so unlike him, ripped its way from his throat as he felt the tube being removed excruciatingly slowly.

"Sam, just relax brother. Everything's going to be fine." Through the loud buzzing in his head, Sam could faintly here Oliver's voice and latched onto it. The tube made a faint sucking sound when it was finally free and he instantly rolled to his side and retched. He felt a strong hand gently patting his back and murmuring words meant to comfort in his ear. But they were meaningless.

Eventually, the gagging ceased and he was eased carefully back down. Squinting through a stab of pain that burst from his temple, he peered around the room. It was bare and plain, standard hospital fare, but seemed to be filled with people. In fact, there was only Oliver and Best, along with several nurses and a doctor.

He looked around; expecting to see that familiar grin tinged with worry, but it was nowhere to be seen. Frowning, he held up a hand just as the doc was about to speak and tried valiantly to remember what had happened. All that he could recall was the crunch of metal, the smell of smoke and her hand within his. The rest drew a blank.

His first attempt to speak came out in a garbled mush from his desert dry throat. Silently, a glass of water was handed to him by Oliver as the nurses exited the room. Sam guzzled down the cool liquid, ignoring the twinge it gave him when it passed over his irritated vocal cords.

"What happened?" He rasped harsher then intended.

He didn't miss the look Best and Oliver shot to each other. Before he could ask them what was going on, the doctor stepped forward, looking over his nose at Sam.

"Do you remember anything Officer Swarek?" The doc asked in a high and nasally tone.

"No." He coughed a bit more to clear out his lungs. "I just remember we were driving back to the precinct then bright lights and nothing else." He met the doctor's eyes steadily, his demeanour holding no room for argument. "What happened?" He repeated, his voice slowly gaining strength.

"You were in a serious collision. During transport here, one of your lungs collapsed, which is why we had you on the ventilator, your left arm is broken in two places, there was some internal bleeding that we managed to stop and you have a very severe concussion. To be honest, I'm surprised you are even awake this soon. With the level of damage your body sustained, you are very lucky to be up and talking right now." The doc spoke in short and clipped sentences, making Sam feel a growing dislike for the man.

"But you're going to be just fine man." Oliver broke in, a huge smile plastered across his face. Sam instantly knew it was fake and that they weren't telling him something. They should know him better than this.

There was a flicker in the back of his mind, a memory straining to be grasped. When he struggled to focus on it, it quickly slipped away, but not before he caught a faint image. Sucking in a breath, he glared at Best, aware that he would get a clearer answer from the boss then his friend.

"Where's Andy?" He demanded, sitting up and ignoring the shard of white the blurred his vision as the bandages on his side shifted. Best shifted uncomfortably and looked at Oliver, who was just as silent. The doctor stepped back, sensing the sudden urgency and tension in the room.

"Where is she?" He hissed, eyes firing as he continued to wait for a response. It was Oliver who had the bravery to reply.

"Sam buddy. I'm so sorry." Oliver paused and glanced down at the floor. "They don't think she's going to make it."

Those words shattered something deep in Sam's soul.


	3. Cruel

_Thanks to everyone who has stuck with and reviewed this fic. What you guys say really keeps us writers going. This part is a lot of Sam's thoughts along with setting up where this takes place in the series. I was a little nervous trying to get what Sam would be feeling right… I hope it's even close. So, here it is. The new chapter –gasp- :D Enjoy._

_Reviews make the day brighter and chapters come faster._

_Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Rookie Blue._

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><p>"They don't think she's going to make it."<p>

Those accursed words echoed in his head, running on some infinite loop that the universe had devised to torture him. He stared at his friend, into the sad green eyes, and felt his heart freeze when all he could see was the pure truth there. Bit by bit, his body seemed to give in on itself. He slumped forward and dropped his head into his functioning hand. There were tears threatening to burst free, but before they could, the instinctive denial rushed in hard and fast.

"No." He mumbled, quietly and weakly at first, but then gaining more strength. Looking up at Oliver and Best, he repeated forcefully. "No. I don't believe you. I want to see her."

Stepping in quickly, the doctor interrupted. "I'm afraid that's not possible. She's still in surgery."

The truthful words hit home, draining any energy he had just mustered, forcing him to lean back onto the hard bed. Closing his eyes, a soft sob wrenched its way free of his throat as the weight of the situation hit him full force. If she was still in surgery, that meant she had been there for hours and the doctors still hadn't saved her. It meant that she had really been hurt. Critically so.

There was a part of his mind that was detached from all of this, the part that came out when he was undercover and not himself. That part was going over and over the odds of the situation, combining what he had been told with his knowledge of hospitals and accidents. And it wasn't good.

An authoritive voice pulled him from his thoughts. "I know this is hard Swarek and you just went through a traumatic incident, but I need you to tell us everything you remember." Best spoke cautiously, but firmly enough to grab Sam's attention. Opening his eyes into slits, he peered at his commanding officer, who bore the expression of a man who had no idea what to say.

"Not much." At first, Sam's tone shook, but it gained some confidence as he forced himself to think everything through like he was going over a report. "It's mostly fuzzy. But I do remember we were just about to go through a light and it was green, then we got hit. On the right. We flipped a few times and after that, nothing." A half-hearted apologetic smile was tugged across his lips before he could stop it.

"It's okay brother. Perfectly understandable." Oliver offered a nearly convincing smile. Sam just looked at him.

There was a sudden spike of pain in his side, which caused him to inhale sharply. The doctor jumped in quickly, silently flipping back the covers to examine his side. Another hiss was pulled from his throat when the area was prodded gently before the doc stepped back, replacing the wafer thin blanket as he did so.

"It seems that stress is causing your body to revolt on itself." The doc mused to himself and before Sam could do it, Oliver shot the man a murderous glance. He was ignored. "Please, officer Swarek, I would suggest you relax as to not do your body anymore harm." Sam resisted the urge to leap up and strangle him and instead settled for giving him a look that said 'no shit, really?'

"Can I have some time? To think." He murmured, keeping his voice neutral as he regarded the doc and ignored the look exchanged between the two other men in the room. He simply forced his muscles to untense as he waited for the sound of their footsteps leaving.

"I'll be back to check on you soon." The doctor murmured before following Sam's coworkers out of the room. He made no move to reply.

Left alone in his thoughts, he could feel the fragments breaking away from his heart as he finally allowed the full grasp of the situation hit. It struck like a punch to the stomach, slamming past all of his defenses and hitting right in his core. She could die and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.

His insides roiled when he realized he might never have the chance to tell her what he truly felt. That he loved her. Always had and, as much as it pained him to say it, even when she had been arresting him and blowing eight months of undercover work, he had found her incredibly attractive. Mind you, at that point, she was only a hot chick in uniform and nothing more. But over time, he had fallen and fallen pretty damn hard for those dark eyes and that penchant for being wherever trouble was.

How much he would give to have been able to be her position and she be safe. He would take a thousand bullets for her if it meant she could be alive and well. There wasn't a thing he wouldn't do to make her happy. And here he was, a gaping hole in his side and arm broken in two places and there was nothing he could do to help her. Nothing he could do to save her. Not this time. It was in fate and the doctors' hands. Which scared the hell out of him.

All he wanted to do was see her face to reassure himself that she was still here; still holding on. Then they could go from there. But he couldn't even do that. She was on some cold metal table in this building, with her entire life held to this world by whatever the doctors were doing. Even knowing that she was in the best hands could not ease the blazing pain his heart.

Unaware that it was happening until it was too late, he slowly drifted into unconsciousness thanks to the meds running through his system. They quickly ran their way through his resolve to stay awake and wait for any information on her, and coupled with his exhausted body, it wasn't much of a fight to stave it off. He just didn't have the energy in him. Without his anchor, his spark of life, everything was dull and flat. So, he let himself slip away even as he prayed.

He never heard the frantic scuffling that emanated from the hallway.


	4. Frozen

_Just want to thank Lyrander215, dcj, CytheraofNaxen, aolande1, PrincessK16, mcary for reviewing every chapter and leave such kind words. They really keep me going. So thanks, all of you guys. It means so much._

_A little note for this chapter: I just want to let you guys know that this chapter is a bit chaotic and repetitive, but that's how I wanted it to go._

_Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Rookie Blue._

_Review make the day brighter and chapters come faster._

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><p>It was cold. So cold. Every fiber of her being was frozen and slow and exhausted. And she had no idea where she was. Just that it was so dark and absent of all light. She had woken here, in this strange place not long ago, but she couldn't seem to move from where she stood. Her feet were rooted to the ground, the ground she couldn't see and her limbs were heavy and cumbersome.<p>

Blinking slowly, Andy turned her head sluggishly to peer around her. More darkness met her eyes, but on her left, she could see a faint flicker of light. It seemed to pulsate stronger as she focused on it, but faded when she looked away. Desperate for comfort, for some sort of sign as to where she was, Andy forced her body to cooperate and shifted to face the light full on. It glowed brightly for a moment and she felt a rush of warmth surge within her. A gasp found its way free but the warm feeling quickly vanished when the light dimmed.

Left shuddering and frozen once again, she took a staggering step forward. Something in her body shook and the light dimmed even further, causing a sob to burst from her lungs. Tears sprang forth along with a bone deep feeling of loss. She had to get out of here. She had to get back to Sam. She had to find him. Where was he?

_Relax child. Everything will be alright._

Whirling, Andy struggled to find the source of the voice that had appeared from nowhere and everywhere. "Who are you?" She demanded, the air pushed through her lips grating over damaged vocal cords. The cold liquid on her cheeks seemed to dissipate as something brushed against her, causing her to flinch backwards and away.

_Andrea, you know who I am. I know you do._

There was a second of silence as things began to piece together. "Mom?" She asked, her voice cracking harshly.

_Very good my dear._ Slowly, a soft yellow glow settled before her eyes, spinning itself into the woman Andy had known only as a child. For the longest time, she could only stare at the person in front of her, still at the age she last remembered her mother as.

"Am I… am I dead?" Andy asked softly, fresh tears pooling in her eyes.

_No dear. Not quite._ Her mother drifted forward and rested a cool hand on her daughter's cheek. The sensation had another shiver pass through her, but it was quickly suppressed.

"Then I have to get back!" Andy told her fiercely. "I have to get back to dad, to Tracy. To Sam. They have to know that I'm okay."

Mrs. McNally dropped her hand and took a small pace back. She peered into the haunting eyes that mirrored her own and sighed.

_I'm afraid it's not that easy, my love. What do you remember?_

"What? No, I have to get out of here." Pushing her way past, Andy felt herself once again imbued with the rush of warmth that faded just as rapidly as the first one. It left her gasping and shaking with her hands on her knees as the overwhelming sensation of loss struck her full force for the second time.

_Andrea. Please. You have to listen to me._ Her mother pleaded. _What do you remember?_

Still recovering from the blow, Andy shook her head to clear her muddled thoughts. "Just that… I was in the cruiser with Sam and we were talking. Then there was this loud crash and I think we flew or something… It felt like fire was crawling up my side then I woke up here." Peering up at her mom's spectral form, she hissed through her teeth, "Why?"

Before she could receive a reply, she straightened. "Wait. If I'm not dead… are you?" She asked, her fingers trembling as she reached out. There was a pause and then her mom drifted forward, clasping Andy's hand in her own cold one.

_Yes. I'm so sorry._

"Oh god." Feeling her legs give out beneath her, Andy melted to the floor. She didn't know why it hurt so much, this strange knowledge of where her mom actually was, but it did. It swelled inside her, straining against the wall she had erected in her mind all those years ago when Mrs. McNally had walked out of her life. But she fought valiantly to keep it from bursting.

_I'm so sorry. _Her mom repeated, crouching by her daughter's side. _I would give anything to go back and fix this but it's too late now. All I can do is keep you safe now._

There was a beat of silence as Andy simply stared into the darkness. _Will you come with me, my daughter? _

"I can't… Mom… I have to stay." Even while she kept her voice strong, Andy could feel her resolve fading. It was crumbling under the steady onslaught of cold and emotions and realizations that continued to slam her head on. There seemed to be something dark growing around her heart and it pulled at her, urging her to leave, to turn the other way and walk with her mom into the black.

_Do you? You have nothing to keep you here._

"I'm a cop mom. I save people. It's what I do. I have to do it."

_But you can't save everyone. You know that. Please Andrea, come with me. _Gingerly, her mother extended a hand, waiting, simply waiting, for her little girl. But Andy never moved. Bit by bit, she pulled herself together and looked up at the familiar face of a stranger. It had taken her too long to notice it, but she had picked it up. The tone of the woman was off, what she said was wrong. What she was here for was wrong. All wrong.

"My name is Andy McNally. I am a police officer of the fifteenth division. I love what I do and the people I work with. Every day, I help make a difference. And you are not my mother. You left that behind when you walked out on my as a child." A surge of anger flashed though the stranger's eyes, transforming the once serene face into an unfamiliar mask of rage. Andy fully expected to be struck with some form of attack, but it never came. Instead, Mrs. McNally withdrew, straightening and glaring down at Andy's still hunched body.

_Very well. But don't blame me when you are forever stuck. _With that, there was a flash of light and swirl of sound and then her mom was simply gone. Left alone in the darkness and cold, Andy simply released the tension in her body and sat comfortably, staring into the hovering ball of light that was nearly faded. But still there.

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><p>In the operating room, the surgeon was fighting to save the young officer on his table. For hours, he had been struggling to pull the woman, practically a girl, from the brink. His team had stayed steady alongside him, but they were all wearing thin and tired. What lay on the table in front of them was shattered so horribly, not a single one of them knew if she could ever recovered. Some even believed that letting her go would be a mercy. But they never voiced their opinion, just worked to save her as they had been bound to do by oath.<p>

They had already shocked her heart twice, but it was still in a flat line. As it had been for minutes now. The surgery had been going fairly well, until she had simply crashed. It happened, every doctor knew it, but they still had a moment of panic at the idea of losing their patient. On the verge of giving up, the surgeon called out for one last charge. He placed the paddles on the officer's chest, preparing to send the energy coursing to her heart.

Except, a loud beep sounded out of nowhere, interrupting the high pitched wine that had been invading the minds of all the medical personal for the last few moments. The surgeon paused, fingers freezing over the buttons as he looked up to the monitor. There it was, a small jump in the line that singled that her heart had taken a beat. It seemed as though every breath caught as they waited for a second beep. Just when they thought they would need to shock her again, that fateful sound rang out.

"Alright team, we have her back." The surgeon announced, quickly returning to stich up the bleeders that appeared from everyone. More hands joined his as the others jumped back in, their quick fingers racing as one to bring this woman back together.


	5. Blaze

_In regards to my not-so-extensive knowledge of anything medical, all I shall say is Willing Suspension of Disbelief and that I'm just having fun. So, I apologies for any glaring errors spotted._

_So, this is the new and improved and much better Chapter 5! I truly hope you like it, as the last one, I have to say, sucked. _

_Secondly, just a reminder the Rookies Choice Awards Nomination Ballot is posted over on The Parade forum in this fandom and will remain open until midnight June 1st (EST). So, please stop on over and nominate all of your favorite fics and give the authors the chance to be recognized for all their hard and brilliant work!_

_And, thank you all, as always, for any comments and critiques and to all readers. They and you are amazing._

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><p>Her mother had been right.<p>

She was stuck.

Stuck in this black void with nothing to keep her company but a hovering and flickering ball of light.

A ball of light that would, at times, nearly extinguish itself and leave her alone and terrified in the dark.

However, after some unidentifiable amount of time, it would brighten and pulse with echoes of warmth.

Time passed, but she no longer recognized it.

She had forgotten what being warm felt like.

She had forgotten what being hungry felt like.

She had forgotten what being loved felt like.

She was on the verge of forgetting what being alive felt like.

How long had she been in this curious place?

There was nothing left for her to hold onto, memories and faces and names slipping away.

All that remained was her name and the recollection of a car and a man beside her as they spun through the air.

Stretching out on her back, she peered up at the ball as it shimmered above her. Sometimes, if she squinted and tilted her head just the right way, she could see people.

People in police uniforms swarming about a white, sterile hallway.

Milling about, with one young woman seated with a little boy and her head in her hands, just wandering from place to place.

A broken man with bruises and bandages and his left arm in a massive cast.

Absently, she wondered who they were.

Here, though, there was no need to know who they were.

Not until someone tossed her a rope and pulled her out.

But, she was still waiting on one.

…

It has been a week since the crash.

Andy still hadn't woken.

The doctors were losing faith, even though they said not one word. All that was given was consoling words, a layer of sweet over the reality.

Andy probably wasn't waking up.

And with the extent of the damage done by the accident, knowledge Sam knew from various eavesdropping's and conversations with Tommy McNally, he almost couldn't blame her. Shattered right Tib-Fib, hairline fractures along six ribs, a nearly crushed Scapula and upper right arm, contusions marring most of the rest of her right side and a crack in her skull.

One glance at her comatose form and you knew it was a miracle she was even alive.

One glance at her comatose form and you knew she may never recover.

There was a part of him, a shallow, needy part that wanted to keep her here forever, even if she wasn't really. But the rest of him, the portion that loved her, knew after this long, it was time to let go. He would drown if he didn't. He wished he could just get sucked under, every morning, right when he remembered.

It burned and tore more than the damage to his arm.

The arm he had been told would need several weeks, if not more, of physiotherapy to fully recover.

The officers of Fifteen had been initially shaken by the blow of nearly losing two officers, in actuality losing them in other ways. There was no way Sam would be allowed back on duty until he had fully recovered and with Andy…

Then they had been shocked to learn that the driver of the semi, which had blown a red light to slam Sam and Andy's cruiser, had deliberately rammed the police cruiser.

Cliff Gainer had been found, a little banged up but otherwise okay, wandering away from his abandoned rig in hopes of evading capture. When he had been arrested, Cliff had been raving about the pigs of the city, feeding off the pain of the innocent and spitting at anyone who passed.

He had been diagnosed with mild Schizophrenia and Dementia a day later.

Rubbing absently at his wrist, where the cast itched furiously, Sam sat outside Andy's room with his eyes closed, waiting for the nurse and doctor checking up on Andy to leave.

Visiting hours were technically over, however, with his patient status, the head nurse would give him ten more minutes past to sit beside McNally. He just had to keep out of the way and go back to his room when he was told.

He usually didn't.

Although, tomorrow, he was being officially released from the ward. Other than his arm, there were only lingering effects from the concussion and the damage to his insides had 'begun to heal nicely,' according to his hook-nosed doc.

The click of the door at his side had Sam's head lifting and watching silently as the scrub clad people exited. The only sign they acknowledge him was a short shake of the head from Amanda, the kindly nurse who had a soft spot for him.

It meant 'no change.' Like always.

Standing slowly on still sore muscles, Sam drew a breath; preparing himself.

The rush of distress and pain never changed.

It rolled over him, a familiar and haunting wave, as he stepped into the room.

The tiny room was occupied by the single bed, two visiting chairs and an array of machines.

They clicked and whirred and beeped and hissed, each doing something he could never guess.

All he understood was the heart monitor, the only proof the pasty, bandaged and broken woman lying before him was alive.

There was a solemn comfort in it.

"Hey there McNally," he murmured, settling into the chair closest to her head, on the left. He couldn't bear to look at the crushed right. "How've you been today?"

Not a twitch.

Hanging his head, he breathed deep and battled back the tears that seemed to never stop. Reaching out, he grasped her hand gently, the only thing about her that didn't seem broken. It was cold and limp in his. He shivered.

"Yeah, I guess that's how it goes."

Shifting forward, he pressed his forehead to their joined hands and let out a shuddering breath.

"I came to say goodbye. I don't know what the doctor has been telling Tommy; he won't tell me entirely, but I can see it in his eyes. And the doctors eyes."

He paused once, the words bile on his tongue. It was the first time he had said it out loud.

Saying it out loud made it real.

"They… they don't think you're going to make it."

His breathing hiccupped once, twice.

"God, it hurts so much. You know that, Lion Hearted Girl? You hurt me more than anyone has ever been able."

Silence echoed around the room.

"So, I came to tell you that it's okay. You can go. You don't have to stay if it hurts. I'm letting you go, Andy."

"I'm letting you go," he repeated, his cracking and hoarse voice stunned as the words wormed their way free.

The walls crumbled and Sam had no more strength left to fight. He simple rested his head beside their hands and cried.

…

Suddenly, the light above her exploded into thousands of little shards.

They became their own small sparks and surrounded her as she stood in surprise.

Gasping as they tickled against her skin, Andy whipped her head back and forth as the small sparks swirled around her in dizzying circles.

They brushed her sides, arms, legs, face, filling her up with warmth and battling back to cold. They filled her with memories as they spun.

And then, a quiet, broken voice filled the blackness she inhabited.

_I'm letting you go, Andy. I'm letting you go._

She knew that voice. It resonated deep, suffusing her with a will, a need to escape the black void.

"No!" She shouted.

And the light flared so bright, she couldn't see anything but white.

Electricity slammed through her body.

Then…

…

All it was was the smallest of twitches.

Just a miniscule movement against his palm.

But he was on his feet, body feeling as if it were touching a live wire, in an instant.

Clutching her hand tightly, he stared intently at her face, not noticing the tears that splashed onto her gown and upper arms.

"Andy?" he breathed, the barest of a whisper.

A second later, eyelids flickered.

He couldn't breathe.

His heart thudded hard.

Then dark, moisture filled brown eyes were staring up at him, blazing brightly with spirit.

Blazing with hope.


	6. Jello

_Today is the last day to vote for the Rookies Choice RB Awards, hosted over on the Parade forum. Please stop by and check it out; a lot of them are going to be close!_

_I hope you enjoy this update; its rather minor, but sort of... not at the same time._

_Enjoy and please let me know what you think. Comments and crititiques are always welcome._

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><p>The doctors called it a minor miracle.<p>

Wasn't a miracle just a plain miracle?

Perhaps it was only minor because all Andy had been able to do was move her fingers and open her eyes in that first instance of consciousness.

Maybe a major miracle was if she had been fully healed.

Was there a classification of miracles?

Whatever the hell type of miracle, Sam had come to look at it as his miracle.

She had come back.

He had let her go, told her it was okay to go, and she had come back.

There had been a flurry of activity in Andy's room once she had awakened, the doctors who had worked on her rushing to check on their now post-comatose patient and Sam had been pushed to the outskirts of the room.

He hadn't truly minded, as his emotions had been still too stunned and battered and worn out to take stock of what happened around him. Instead, he had simply gone into a crouch against the far wall, eyes locked onto her gaze, unbroken even when a white lab coat blocked eye contact.

Somehow, he had been permitted to stay through the night, although Andy had fallen asleep only moments after her eyes had opened.

The doctors had assured him that rest was exactly what she needed to recover.

And so, he had and watched over her as she slowly came back from wherever she had gone.

Tommy McNally had been called with the news and had arrived in a rush later during the night. He had sat with his daughter for some time before he had turned to Sam, thanked him and told the doctors to call him again with any other changes.

Sam could only assume that Tommy had gone home to sleep. Or cry.

Now, a day later and officially released from the hospital, his arm wrapped and swathed with heavy plaster from wrist to past his elbow, a prescription for some pretty heavy duty pain killers and a handful of appointments with the physiotherapist in his pocket, Sam was still within the walls of Victoria Mercy.

Waiting anxiously for Andy to wake up.

And this time, not from a coma, but from sleep.

But regarding her still-pale and drawn face, eyes closed and breathing harshly through a bruised windpipe, it was hard for him not to worry.

His adrenaline and emotions were over taxed, his mind and body over tired, but unable to sleep until he was certain Andy would wake again.

So he distracted himself by wandering around a room he already knew by heart.

He was midway through his seventh circuit when something changed.

His body stilled, gaze automatically flicking over Andy's still form.

For the second time in as many days, Sam was met with the same overwhelming and heart wrenching shock of seeing her stare back at him.

Slowly, cautiously, feeling as though she would vanish if he moved too quickly, Sam moved towards the bed and sat, never once breaking eye contact. Her eyes followed his every movement, the only part of her that moved.

They watched and studied each other silent, her gaze leaving his to run across his body, hesitating on the plaster. Eventually, they flicked back up and Sam saw them started to fill with water.

"Hey," he murmured.

"Hi," she whispered back, a pain-filled croak.

The sound made him flinch. But he did his best to keep the expression cross his face.

After that, neither spoke for a very long time.

He just wrapped his hand around hers and conversed in their language. Every so often, Andy would shift in discomfort and cut her sight to the right. She would get an eyeful of white bandages just peaking from beneath the paper thin hospital blankets. Sam almost expected her to ask what had happened or something of the like.

He never expected what she did ask. And that was why he loved her.

"Does this mean I get Jell-O?" Andy asked in a ragged voice some time later.

All Sam could do was stare at her for a second.

Then a deep roar of laughter burst from his core.

He bent at the waist, tears forming in his eyes as his body shook with sobs of laughter. The laughing released the tightness within him and for the first time since before the accident, Sam felt human.

The fist of fear around his heart fell away.

And when a small giggle left Andy's lips, Sam couldn't help but feel that everything would be alright.

That she would be okay.


End file.
